


An Impossible Encounter

by KermitTheFuck



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night - All Media Types, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (Anime 2014)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Real World, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Meetings, Incomplete, Isekai, Minor Injuries, Other, Servant Battles, Slow Burn, Trust Issues, Work In Progress, cu chulainn is just, kind of, listen, no beta we die like men, perhaps, really attractive man, running for your life really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:53:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25643845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KermitTheFuck/pseuds/KermitTheFuck
Summary: You were just an ordinary person with an ordinary job in an ordinary town. So how did a walk to a bar after a long day of work become a life or death run in with servants from Fate/Stay Night?
Relationships: Cú Chulainn | Lancer & Reader, Cú Chulainn | Lancer/Reader
Comments: 13
Kudos: 56





	1. An Impossible First Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> This is like a super-duper slow burn and literally nothing romantic happens in this first chapter (even though fluffy, smutty romance is my shit).  
> I am now planning on continuing this bad boy! I'm currently working on the next few chapters while I settle into college classes so I hope to see you guys again soon!  
> Also the servant fighting Cu is Siegfried just in case you need that info before hand!  
> Thank you for reading, it is really appreciated!

You thought you were pretty normal. You had a normal job, a normal apartment, normal interests; nothing really made you feel weird or out of place. You lived in not quite a small town, but neither a bustling city; it was easy to get around, you mostly just walked to and from work and the few shops and bars you called a second home. You really did think everything about yourself was quite normal. That was until the day that the lines of fiction and reality began to blur.

Your co-workers love to tease you about your taste in TV shows.

  
“Fate / Stay Night?” they would giggle.  
“What’s that?”  
“A cartoon?”  
“For kids, right?”  
“That anime stuff?”

  
You learned quickly that you had to just brush it off cooly and decided to keep these things to yourself from now on. No matter any teasing, you still love the franchise. The story, the characters, even the slightly overbearing hypersexualization of said characters. It was just a far off fantasy that you enjoyed watching like any other show.

  
The work day was finally coming to a close. The setting sun was streaming in your office’s windows, almost completely under the horizon by now. Most of your coworkers had already gone home hours earlier, but you unfortunately had to stay behind overtime to finish work you may or may not have been procrastinating on. Spreadsheets just weren’t your thing, but no one in the office would hear it, admonishing you, saying that it was your work, you had to do it. Of course you would end up getting it done, your work ethic wasn’t that bad, but that didn’t stop you from bemoaning it all the while.

  
Finishing cleaning up, you shut off your computer and shut off the lights when you reach for your phone on your desk only for it to not be in its usual place. Damn, you had been forgetting all day that you left it at home during your overslept rush to the office. You would just have to do without it for one night you supposed. After such a long work day you really needed to de-stress and get a pint or two to help you sleep off the scoliosis that was surly forming from your awful desk chair posture. Comfy shoes on, bag in hand, office locked, and you were ready to wander to your favorite hole-in-the-wall bar. A comfy little heaven with attractive bar keepers and homely booths. It wasn’t too far of a walk, but a shortcut never killed anyone.

  
Outside the front doors, the summer air was warm and a bit sticky. Instead of heading down the street in front of you, you turned left on the sidewalk and around your office building, down a mucky alley only lit by the fluorescent light trickling out of the few widows high above.

  
Just a bit away from the back of your building was the main gates of an old rural baseball field that was rarely used anymore, if at all. Weeds grew defiantly in almost every crack, and the dusty dirt paths were unkempt and rocky. The field itself was just a red dirt diamond with tall, black chain link fencing surrounding it, all nestled in some woods. A few portable aluminum audience stands that hadn’t held an actual spectator in weeks would usually whine in the night heat. You would just have to push open one of the little chain fences and cross the field, then sweet, sweet drinks would be a two minute walk away.

  
You came to the looming main gates, wide open and inviting you to the quiet, dark clearing. The short dirt path took you past the stands and you wove past the dugout’s fence where baseball players usually rested during games you never really got a chance to see. You gripped the clunky fence gate, ready to swing open when a sound akin to the loudest thunder you’d ever heard stopped you dead. You whipped your head around behind you where the sound came from but nothing seemed out of place, not even as the streetlamps in the distant streets could be seen coming on over the tree line. You looked up but saw no clouds, only the inky sky, a handful of whining bats, and a few stars that came out to observe your night trek.

  
Suddenly the rumbling thunder roared and once again behind you, now coming from the far end of the field. The ground under your feet shook and the bats that flew overhead dive bombed into the trees in fear. You didn’t want to turn your head again as anxiety subconsciously crept into your veins, but you felt that you had to as the sounds of metal shrieking and men shouting gripped your ears. You turned and before your eyes in the pitch dark was the spray of sparks and two flashes of light very skillfully dodging and attacking one another. This was very familiar, too familiar for comfort. Able to make out a figure clad in a tense, royal blue suit and a long, fatal red spear fighting fiercely against a wolfish man with a chest covered in an intricate glowing blue symbol and a gigantic silver sword.

  
It was too real, too vicious to be cosplay or the fighting of real humans. Your jaw dropped in realization. This was a living, breathing servant battle.Their footsteps were so heavy, that they cracked the red earth beneath them. Their rough blows were so intense, they vibrated through the air and into your heart. Gazing on, unable to tear your eyes away, your mind calmly screamed to you:

  
You need to run.

  
Sharply turning on your heels, you threw yourself face first into the black dugout fence that was behind you. It screeched and clacked deafeningly against itself. Even worse than that, was not the sound of the fight to the death that was now behind you; but the complete and utter, heart stopping silence that encompassed the field. Your face burned from the impact of the chain link fence, but you didn’t have the time to worry about that. Now you could only feel the two venomous glares boring into the back of your skull.

  
“Who’s there!?”, one of them roared, but he didn’t give you much time to reply. You whipped your head around so fast it hurt, only to see the blue servant now racing across the small field towards you, lance poised and ready to pierce your flesh the second he reaches you. Wait, lance? He’s a lancer class?

  
The other servant seems to have already fled, your stupid slip up giving him the perfect opportunity to escape the enraged crimson eyes that were now about to kill you. You’re going to die. It’s too late, he’s already here, spear driving towards your heart, you should just accept this horrible and gruesome fate. However, despite every fiber of your being trying to convince you to just lay down and accept this death, you still try to run.

  
You turn and duck down, diving for the opening in the fences you came in from and feeling the cool earth under your flying hands. You continue to scramble forward, ignoring the weeds and sticks digging into your palms and look forward just in time to watch as the lance clears over your head by centimetres. It slips into the forest line, leaving only a trail of blazing red light in less than a second. Your breath catches in your throat at the ‘thunk’ of it sinking into a poor tree, but you don’t have time to stop, the dark main gates wide open, calling for you to run to it. Stomach dropping as a large, rough hand crushes your ankle and twists, a sick creak comes from it as you are flipped around onto your back. Your assailant doesn’t let go of his sharp grip as his lance flies back into his free hand like magic. You don’t dare look at him, fearful of those razor-sharp, red eyes of his. Something then overcomes you in a powerful wave. You don’t know why, but like the tears building up in your eyes, words just pour out of your mouth without any real meaning in a weakened shout,

  
“Lancer, I order you to stop!”

  
It seems to work, more out of surprise than actually following any order. His grip loosened slightly and without hesitating you scramble to your feet and run back up the path you can from, kicking up clumps of grass and dirt in your dash.

  
You ducked into the shadows of the overgrown bushes just outside of the main gates. Your breath was stuck in your burning throat, terrified to make even the softest sound. You heard the quick patter of footsteps get louder and louder and just as sudden the footsteps faded. You still didn’t dare to move for a while longer until the fire in your lungs and tremble in your legs forced you to release your breath and push on forwards. Creeping out of the bushes you slunk away into the direction of your home, keeping to the edge of the forest. One back on the streets, the pavement felt hard on your feet as you quietly staggered far away from the baseball field as best as you could manage. You had to persistently ignore any resistance from your muscles, pulling tighter like rubber bands with every step. Light headed and adrenaline high, you had gotten away.

  
Or so you thought.

  
High above, on top of the flat city rooftops stood your attacker, watching your intensely with curiosity and apprehension. Who was this little miss? Certainly not a master, let alone a mage. He continued to follow your limping figure from afar.

You hobbled as fast as you could in the dark streets of your desolate neighborhood. The summer cicadas in the trees buzzed like an overbearing alarm, screaming at you that you are still not safe. Your only literal guiding light being the amber street lights that washed over you every 50 feet or so. You felt tense, sweaty, and lightheaded, not at all how you thought it would feel to encounter real life servants; at least not in this way.

  
Salvation came in the form of the sight of your tall, dark apartment building looming in the near distance. There you could grab your phone and call for help; a neighbor, a friend, an ambulance, anything so long as you didn’t have to have this fear of death weighing like bags of sand on your shoulders like it was now.

  
The smell of the leafy suburbs gave you the slightest comfort as you reached your apartments and quickly slipped inside past the short iron gates. On the cusp of hyperventilating, you dragged yourself and your screaming legs up the side stairway of your apartment building. Reaching your front door had never felt so relieving and so terrifying at the same time. Shaking hands and heightened nerves made you fumble with your keys for a moment, but finally for a single second you were able to hold steady and unlock the door. Running in, as best as you could on a twisted ankle, you forcefully slammed the heavy door shut and rested your back against it once it was firmly locked. You were able to breathe somewhat close to a normal pace after a moment and sunk down for the floor, trying to hold back tears from the stress of almost being murdered.

  
However, a soft thud heard from inside your bedroom made your blood instantly freeze. Peering past the living room with fearful eyes, the cracked door would normally be unassuming and any unusual sounds could be attributed to your annoying neighbors. On the other hand, this was a very unusual night, and you didn’t feel generous enough to risk dying again over the tiniest oversight.

  
You swallowed the lump in your throat and crawled on your hands and knees across the floor in the dark, prodding over carpet and dirty laundry you told yourself you’d do ages ago. With the moonlight streaming in through the living room blinds as your only guide, you made it outside your door and braced against the door frame as you pulled yourself up to your feet, thankfully without as much trouble as you thought you would.

  
You pushed on the door softly, the audible creak and groan from its hinges made your skin crawl. Peering around the familiar space, nothing seemed out of place. The moonlight was even brighter in this room; you could almost clearly see your furniture and belongings exactly as you had left them this morning outlined in a soft silver light. You silently tiptoed inside and shut the door. Without thinking, you lock the door and move to grab your phone where it sat dead on your bedside table. As you move however, you finally notice that your window, which provided you with your precious moonlight, was also wide open. The delicate breeze danced your curtains smoothly as your heart sank to your stomach. Before you could react, in a bright flash of lightning blue, the man you were so sure you had gotten away from jumped down out of thin air in front of you, and hurled his long lance straight at your chest.

  
In your eyes, time seemed to slow. Seconds stretched into eternity as death grew near in the form of the blood red spear slicing through the air towards your heart. In an instant you recognized the face, but still didn’t believe it could be real. How did you not see it before? The bristled blue hair, the flash of lethal crimson eyes. The eyes of a death hungry hound.

  
Once again, the words rushed out of you before you could think. In a small breath, all at once, less of a question and more of a statement,

  
“Cu Chulainn.“

  
With a sudden hitch in the back of his throat, your assailant’s eyes widened. Skillful and powerful arms instantly redirected his lance. Too late for him to stop completely, with a splitting crunch and splinter, the blade’s head buried itself into the plaster wall besides your neck. Air from the force of the blow made you stumble back onto the frigid wall, his lance not even a mere three inches away from slicing you open.

  
An uneasy silence fell on your ears as you waited, his eyes boring into you in a harsh surprise, and you didn’t dare to look away because one wrong glance would be the end. You couldn’t urge yourself to breathe. Despite missing you on purpose, the threat of being murdered by this man in your bedroom was still incredibly high. You had managed to stop this servant in his tracks twice now without speaking more than eight words in total, and he seemed to know that as well. He did not release his firm grip on the spear as he leaned closer and stared at you in an intense suspicion. His eyebrows furrowed and the permanent frown displayed on his face only relaxed ever so slightly. The beautiful, long silver earrings he wore swayed against his jaw.

  
Fear was obviously etched into every line of your face, but undeniably there was also a hint of courage and familiarity that had the man extremely intrigued. His voice was stern but curious,

  
“How do you know my name?”


	2. Sleep Walking or Day Dreaming? (Official Chap. Two!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You awaken from the night before with memories of the craziest dream....
> 
> Thank you so much for your patience everyone! I'm currently beating my seasonal depression for once and revved up to write more!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a bit of clean-up editing for this chapter since I first posted it!

You slowly blinked sleep from your eyes and awakened to a quiet mid-morning sun streaming through your curtains. The soft hum of the AC came to life with you, and created a soothing white noise. The soft blankets and fluffy pillows of your bed were comforting against your skin. Rising to sit up, you blearily looked around your bedroom. It was just as you had left it the morning before: cluttered and unkept. 

Last night… Last night was a dream. Another fantasy that had wormed its way into your head after a few too many drinks at the bar. You've convinced yourself as such. Most likely, you were almost black out drunk and couldn’t get home, so of course someone bought you a cab ride home. You wonder who called for your ride home, and dreaded the amount of money you’d have to repay the kind stranger if you’d ever have the embarrassing pleasure to see them again. You honestly hoped to god you didn’t walk home in the dark; how scary of a thought. You were just grateful you got home safe and reluctantly decide to not go out drinking again for a while.

Being new to the area for your job, you didn’t really know anyone besides your co-workers and the nice bartenders around town. A lot of your friends were actually online, so moving to a new town thankfully didn’t change too much of your normal life. However, because of this, you tended to be on your own when you went out to restaurants, and movies, and such. Sure it got to be a little lonely, but you were making five times as much money as you did at your old job and you could easily send someone a message online to start up a nice chat. You had convinced yourself a while ago that you were happy on your own, right?

Swinging your legs over the side of the bed, your feet hit the edge of the mattress and your ankle throbbed in a sharp, acute pain. Looking down you see a dark purple bruise encircling your ankle that had formed viciously overnight.  
“What the hell did I trip over to get that?” The hoarse voice that came from your lips startles you. You gently touched your throat in surprise, your voice sounded and felt like sharp gravel. Putting most of your weight on your good foot, you managed to carefully limp to the bathroom door just outside your bedroom. Bracing on the door frame, you flicked on the lights and clambered to the sink, only to see a large looming blue shadow in your peripheral, making you jump out of your skin.

“Gah-! What are you still doing here?!” You whipped around to face the larger than life lancer, Cu Chulainn. He was certainly tall, the defined muscles of a warrior eventuated by the taught blue suit, and accented by silver. The lancer was casually leaned back against the wall, as if he waited there all night. Looking both irritable yet smug, with his eyebrows furrowed and lips pulled into a smirk he spoke, “Unless you forgot, little lady, you still haven’t given me all the answers I asked for.”

Glancing away, you grumbled nonsense under your breath, too tired and embarrassed to continue the past night’s… interesting conversation. You were forced to finally face the truth of what took place the night before. It really wasn’t a fantasy or a horrendously bad dream. You grabbed your tooth brush and begin to clean your teeth, trying to ignore this ancient hero’s giant presence while fully remembering the night before. 

You were correct. The single, soft breath of his name stopped the servant in his tracks, leaving him to glare at you in deadly suspicion.

“How do you know my name?” He could easily retract his spear from the wall and into your heart in a second, you had to choose your next words carefully. Swallowing the fear that was sure to over take you should you let it, you had to respond. Now or never…

“Wow, you’re _so blue_.”

Rinsing your mouth, you curled into yourself in embarrassment, refusing to lift your head from the sink. Wishing to drip down the drain along with the running tap, you did not dare to look at him when you finally straighten back up. You desperately hoped he didn't see the blush rising in your face.

He almost laughs. You could clearly see him swallow a sharp bark of laughter as he straightened up, grip still tight on what you now knew for sure was the beautiful Gae Bolg. Cu couldn't hide his sudden amusement at this little human’s bumbling confession, rage had completely washed away from his face.

“I’m sorry, that was not what I was expecting at all.” Caution was still set firmly in his eyes, but now he looked at least a little entertained. 

“I - I wasn’t expecting it either, it just kind of slipped out, I’m so sorry.” Sweat heavily dripped down your face and neck and Cu stared you down for a moment,

“Now really, tell me how you know my true name. Then I can decide whether or not to end your life, little one.”

An hour or so later that night you both still stood in the darkness of your room, Cu stared hard at the wiki’s image gallery, scrolling a little every now and then and making you hold your breath. You were afraid of what he’d say, what he’d think. You waited tensely on your feet, legs straight and trembling while he stood off to the side in your bedroom, scrolling endlessly on your phone.

“I don’t get it, why do I look so weird in all these doodles and junk. I don’t actually look like this do I?” You would have thought he was depressed about his character design if you hadn't also heard an edge of caution in his words. You reached out your hand and did a small grabbing motion for the phone, to which he ungracefully dropped it into your grasp. You tucked it close to your chest and kept your limbs stiffly to your body to repress your anxious shaking as much as possible.

“Well, I like the way you look…” you mumbled thoughtlessly. Cu let's out a sharp laugh, having heard the words you had intended only for yourself to know. You couldn't bring yourself to look at him, keeping your eyes locked on your phone’s dark screen. A deep blush creeped up your neck as you tied to hold your tongue from revealing anything that would embarrass you further. It was hard to miss the smirk in his voice, “Oh? I didn’t know the little lady had a death wish _and_ good taste.” The bite in this tone snapped you out of your frozen fear momentarily, and you sent a sharp glare towards him. He responded only with another short laugh.

”Yeah, you definitely have a death wish if you're trying to threaten me with that little pout of yours.”

“I don’t have a death wish, it’s not my fault you were fighting in such an open space.” He continued to smirk at you and you couldn't help but notice the little bit of fang that edged his grin. It only flustered you more due to the duality of deadly and cuteness his sharp canines represented.

“Ah~ you got me there, I personally wouldn’t have chosen to fight so close to the city, but that bastard Saber kept pushing me back.” He was still not taking responsibility. 

“Normally, you would have been dead hours ago, no witness of the Holy Grail War and all, but you’re an unusual case. This ‘anime’ you’re talking about means you and millions of other humans have knowledge on past wars, future wars, alternate dimensions, masters, and from the look of that ‘character list’, hundreds of servants. Something larger is at play here and I need you alive to help me figure this out.”

Even with his monologues and insistent poking and prodding of questions, the events of the day finally caught up to your body as you sat back on your comfy bed. His words become white noise as your muscles ached and mind clouded with fog. You could feel yourself quickly sinking in the quicksand of sleep. Cu didn't seem to take notice of you winding down as he stared off into space as he spoke,

"I need to talk to my master, she would be able to figure this out. Until then, you need to tell me everything you know. When the sun rises we can-" You couldn't keep your eyes open any longer. You slowly fell back into the fluffy comforters and pillows, cutting off Cu as he eyed you questioningly. Like a zombie, you slowly grappled with the blankets and flopped over, ignoring any protests from the blue lancer. Your unfocused eyes stared at the wall that now bore a jagged hole in it and you knew your landlord was going to kill you when she saw it. However, nothing in the world at this moment could get you to care.

“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t go snoozing on me, I still have questions! Hey! At least tell me your name…?” You faded from consciousness, apathy and sleepiness allowing you give in to the dark and stillness of sleep. 

And now it was morning, with _him_ still in your apartment, and it doesn’t evade you that he probably wouldn't leave anytime soon. You quickly finished up cleaning your teeth and scrubbed your face a little harsher than usual as you washed up. He was staring at you the whole time, making you fidget some as you went about your normal morning routine. You didn't know how you were going to be able to get ready for work with him looming over you the entire morning. Wait... work...? Oh god, you couldn't even think about work right now, should you even attempt to go in? 

“Gah, I don’t know if I could function at all at work today... I need to call in sick...”

“Oh? You got a job?”

“Not anymore if I can’t convince them I’m bedridden with the plague, now go away I need to shower!” Your little flailing arms didn't deter Cu from where he stood firm against the wall amongst your 'shooing'. He paused and looked like he was about to say something snarky when you pushed against his side with all your might toward the door. Cu very clearly let you kick him out, it didn't escape either of you that you couldn’t overpower a large cat, much less an Irish demigod. 

“Just- go wait in the living room or something. Eat whatever you want in the kitchen. I don’t care, just please let me get dressed.” You had to pause for a beat as the cogs in your mind skipped. Cu looked back at you curiously at your sudden freeze.

“Wait no, servants don’t have to eat, right? Can servants eat? Man I’m getting rusty - just, go!” With one final shove you could close the bathroom door and jumped into the shower. Finally you could be alone for a small moment. Though, as you tried to be more gentle while cleaning yourself, the tiny paranoia that creeped into your mind reminded you that servants could dematerialize and exist as if in the air. You looked around yourself through the thin steam, and pulled back the shower curtain to be greeted by the empty bathroom. 

You called out to the air, "Your not secretly in here are you?" There was no response. Hastening your shower, once you were adequately clean for the day, you carefully stepped out and wrapped your body in a thick towel. You exited your now toasty bathroom to an empty and secluded bedroom, the door shut. 'Cu must be in the living room...' You dressed up quickly, stringing together a unconsciously nice outfit, and finally finished with the last bit of your usual morning routine. Entering the living room, you were greeted to the sight of the lancer lounging on your couch. Eyes shut, his arms were spread out across the back of the couch, feet up on the coffee table, and spear leaning up against your coat rack by the front door. He looked the most relaxed you’d seen of him so far, like his mind had wandered off to a nicer place than a magic war. You guessed that servants probably got bored too. 

Cu’s eye opens as if he sensed you come into the room, he looked at you expectantly. 

“Okay. Ready to sit down and have an actual chat now that you're all clean and fluffy?” You nodded, sitting down in the love seat across from him and you pulled your legs under yourself. You finally felt a little ready to deal with this impossible new reality, though with a little anxiety bubbling up once more.

"I'm sorry for not being all that out together... I mean, last night I was so tired I... I'm sorry." He sat up straighter and put his feet flat on the floor, leaning towards you a bit. He smiled a little bit at your nervousness and let out a breath,

"It's alright, little lady. Must have been a wild night for a non-mage such as yourself." Oh yeah. Your heart dropped a little. You supposed that was right, you weren't a mage like the main characters of fate. You obviously knew this but why did it strike you in such a weird way now?

“So, first things first. You know my name, why don't you tell me yours?” You flushed a little in embarrassment. Of course, what an obvious thing to miss.

“I’m Y/N.”

“Alright, nice to finally meet you, Y/N.”

“Is it really nice, or are you just saying that?” Cu’s grin grew wolfish under your warry gaze, you thought it was akin to a predator that didn't know not to play with his food before he slayed it.

“Hm... At first the whole situation _was_ a little shitty, but I think I’m warming up to you.” You caught his sharp canines again as he smiled and talked. It was fittingly intimidating. You couldn't help but give a small grin in return, 

“Okay my turn to ask something.” He smirked dangerously at you, but you couldn't truly tell if it was hostile or just habit,

“I didn’t know we were taking turns.”

“Well, we are now.” You stated firmly. He stayed silent, waiting for you to continue.

“How does your master feel about all this? I mean, me knowing who you are and the Holy Grail War? Have you even talked to your master yet? Do they know about me?” You tucked your limbs closer to your body and Cu stood up, towering over you even with the coffee table between you. 

“Ah, yes, well. While you were knocked out we had a long conversation. She knows and well, you see, the thing is my master wants to meet with you.”

The rush of fresh anxiety you suddenly felt was incomparable to anything you felt the past 24 hours. 


End file.
